WIDENER REPLIES

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

Your editorial of 3 May raises once-again the question of circulation of Widener periodicals to students. The Library's policy regarding the use of periodicals has been carefully established to accommodate the overall academic community, which requires that periodicals be available when needed. Periodical volumes include several issues and many more individual articles. Since a reader usually does not read through an entire periodical volume, but is interested in one article, there is consequently little justification for such volumes to circulate and thus to immobilize all the other articles and so make them unavailable to other readers.

The Library recognizes that periodicals are sometimes needed for longer periods and, as your editorial makes clear, students may reserve them for five days. Further-more, the easy access to photographic services in Widener facilitates copying articles in periodicals. Theodore G. Alevizos   Associate University Librarian for Reference and Circulation